Top ten sellers

With a million-dollar Duesenberg leading the list, six of the week’s top-ten bids at the Kruse Collector Car Auction were awarded to autos built in the 1920’s and ‘30’s, showing a continued interest in the classics that helped establish the sale.

1: $1 million 1932 Duesenberg J340 Murphy convertible coupe.
2: $327,500 1954 Chevrolet “Star Spangled Collection” of 3 1954 Corvettes.
3: $265,000 Dark blue 1937 Cord Sportsman Cabriolet.
4: $227,500 Silver 1995 Mercedes-Benz Lotec C-1000 two-door race car, V-8,
5: $227,500 White 1957 Dual Ghia convertible.
6: $200,000 Maroon 1930 Cadillac V-16 Imperial Sedan limousine.
7: $175,000 1931 Cord L-29.
8: $175,000 1966 Batmobile TV car.
9: $170,000 Green Rolls-Royce 33 WJ Phantom II, first owned by Ernest Hemingway
10: $165,000 1929 Cadillac Dual Cowl Series 341-B four-door Sport Phaeton V-8.

Favorite pic of the week

Scott Brandt positions a 1960 Fiat on a transport trailer bound for his business in Fenton Missouri. He bought the car and others this week at the Kruse auction.

Under wraps

Maybe its been a long week, but some cars seem to be shying from attention.






Awww, look at that Roll Royce Silver Shadow, halfway tucked into bed.







Shhh, don't startle the Avanti, peeking out of the tent. Maybe she'll come out and play.

...maybe six days is too long to spend with this many cars.

On the road again

Heading to points all over the country and elsewhere, (I heard at least one auction auto announced as being destined for the Netherlands.)

The end is near

Nothing lasts forever, and the Kruse auction is winding down here late Monday afternoon. Either die-hards or the exhausted dot the rows of purple church pews that were packed only yesterday.
Upside? Best auctioneer patter of the week. Anything to get a reaction, a bid or to boost a sagging price.
"Has anybody been bitten by a mosquito today?"
"Anyone want cheesecake?
"Buy replacement insurance! Buy this car and park it outside a bar with the keys in it!"
Its a joke folks. But, if it were to happen like that...

Hollywood Gadget

Wave hello to the driver of this '64 Lincoln, Inspector Gadget car. Hollywood magic at its finest. It sold for $17,500 during Sunday's celebrity car auction.

Bargan celebrity

Fame isn't always as bankable as you might think. Brushes with fame even more (or less) so.
Look close and your see the driver facing rearward in this trick-driving car from Herbie Fully Loaded. It drew a bid of $21,000, but did not sell on the stand. the owner wanted some time to think things over.



This Mazda used in "Baywatch," by Pamela Lee Anderson no less, sold for a mere $10,250 during the celebrity-car auction.
Please insert your anatomy-based wisecrack here.





The longest-jumping General Lee from the Dukes of Hazard movie. Well, most of it at least. This shell was launched 175 feet through the air for a stunt and then reassembled from parts of other stunt cars, according to the auctioneer. Cost: $10,000 to Big Daddy in California.

Indy's only Auburn

This 1929 Indy racer It made the field with a 92.9 mph qualifing speed. It is the only Auburn to have graced the historic track. Not for long though. It crashed on the 19th lap, causing a 7-car pileup, including the "Trexler Special."

Crowd decontrol

Look back to Wednesday's post and a shot from a similar angle in the auction barn. You'd think people didn't have anything to do on the weekend.

Saturday is parade day. The Auburn Cord Dusenberg Club mixes in a band or two and some dignitaries, but the stars are the cars. People gather to watch, appreciate, critique and occasionally criticize.

Of course, not everyone is interested in the passing classics, Isabel and Caroline Braun, 8 and 10, are more interested in spoiling Baxter the golden retriever while the mature folks consider less fuzzy treasures.

But, even the die hards occasionally have a soft spot for some canine companionship.

Cleveland Indian great Bob Feller is making himself available, Saturday at the WWII Victory Museum, across I-69 from the auction park. "The Heater from Van Meter," is the second oldest living player in the baseball hall of fame, after Bobby Doerr, (God bless Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Feller)

I'm not much of a baseball fan, but my friend Jim Knipe is. He's also from Cleveland, and a born and bred Indians fan. I was at his house in downtown Auburn watching the ACD Parade when I got a call from Kruse, asking if I wanted an interview with the pitching star. Earlier in the day, Jim was showing around an autographed photo of Feller.

Needless to say, we both headed over. Jim saw Feller pitch during the 1954 World Series, peering through the standing room only crowd.
"We threw that one away," Feller said. True enough, the Indians were swept by the New York Giants.
Feller joined the US Navy two days after Pearl Harbor. Keep in mind that the 23-year old was chasing pitching records held by Babe Ruth. Not a great career move, but Feller said it didn't take much to decide.
"In an all-out world war, sports is very insignificant," he said. He was in for 4 years, ("and two days.")
Look for Feller to throw out the first pitch at the first American League playoff game, ("and at the first game of the World Series," he predicts.)

Action packed Saturday

Lots going on on Saturday. the ACD Parade starts downtown at 1 p.m. Better go early.
There's an antique show, bed race, even fireworks at night.

Its late, I'm lazy. Check the schedule at the ACD Fest site. Its running strong now.

acdfestival.org/html/schedule_of_events.html

Cruise-In for the masses

The Downtown Cruise-In is a nice alternative to the loads of great but pricy autos available at the auction.
Hear any good Pinto jokes lately?
don't tell Jean Camp of St. Joe, Indiana. She is very proud of a '72 Pinto she bought a few years back. She said she had the gas tank replaced, due to age. I hope she had it reinforced too. (Just kidding... ...no, not kidding.)

Gettin' busier

What a difference in feeling today, with three rings running, compared to one on Thursday. Early reports from Kruse marketing people say that they may have hit attendance records for Friday. Hard to tell, as they were still tallying late into the evening and couldn't provide any numbers. What's a journalist to do?

Bid for fame

"Bidding Wars," an ESPN2 reality show, is taping 13 episodes of the show during this year's auction. Here, auctioneer Scott Felker gets the up close and personal treatment. However, he still has to work a little further up the ladder of fame.
"I'm not wired." he informed me, reaching for his lapel, where a mike might be.

Classic jam

The style and attraction of the Auburns, Cords and Dusenbergs is obvious to most, but the real time-travel experience is to watch them in action. Thursday afternoon, around two dozen classics purred up to the ACD Museum, giving a glimpse of what it might have been like to be caught in an early '30s traffic jam.
In spite of the lack of airconditioning, it would have been much cooler, I'm sure.

Spin-mobile

I have a thought. Lets eliminate TV news coverage of the current 870 (who's counting?) presidential candidates. Instead, we'll offer them a new deal they can't refuse; a rolling political platform of their very own.
This custom 1925 Safeway Motor Coach was used by FDR, en route to the White House in 1932. It has sleeping quarters, a kitchen and a stage on the back where you can tell the world what you know.
Sure, its a bit of a gas hog, but one week on the road without benefit of a mint on their pillow or a mini bar should cut the field considerably.

Fifties fiberglass

If Ward and June Cleaver, hit the lottery, they might have packed Wally and the Beaver into this multi-tasking fiberglass wonder for their American dream tour. This 1952 Ford Ranch Wagon with matching Kom-Pak camper trailer is an amazing blast from a past that didn't quite happen. According to owner George Munsterman of Fishgill, New York, only 14 of these designer campers were ever made.

Charity begins at home

Somewhere around 2:30 Thursday afternoon, the auctioning of automobiles began at the Kruse International Auction Park. The first several cars and other items had been donated to the Salvation Army, according to the auctioneers. Nothing fancy, but any proceeds would benefit their charity operations.
The spirit of giving was not overwhelming. The first car, a Buick, (no I don't remember what kind,) went for about $1000 dollars. The second, an '89 Mercedes sedan, went for around $1500. Later, a mildly customized golf cart went for about twice of what the Mercedes brought. Priorities I suppose.
The hardest thing about watching this was knowing:
One: I really need a car.
Two: I could have actually afforded one of these, (not the golf cart though.)

Friday downtown

There’s a lot going on Friday night in downtown Auburn. Here’s some of the details. Hopefully the ACD site will be back up soon.

The 5th Annual Regional Art Expo Fine Arts Fair and Sale, starts at 4 p.m. in Courtyard Park Admission is free for spectators. For information, contact the Auburn Arts Commission at 260-927-1499 or www.auburnartscommission.org

The fourth annual Sundaes on Friday Ice Cream Social will be held from 5-8 on Main Street, near 7th Street. One dollar per scoop gets you cooled off or fattened up.

The Downtown Cruise-In will be held on Courthouse Square starting at 5 p.m. Parking begins at 5 p.m. Admission: $10 per vehicle; Spectators free
Contact: ACD Festival at 260-925-3600 or acdfestival.org/

Cost of popularity?

This from the ACD Festival site, Thursday around 5:30.

UPDATE: (Thursday, around 11 p.m., they're back on line.)

Bearing glad tidings

Walking into the Kruse Visitor's Center, you are greeted by, well, a room full of dead, stuffed animals. All for sale of course. If you have to ask about the prices... ...just keep window shopping.

Actually, the area seems to serve more as a staging area for the people who make the auction work, getting cars from point A to point B, etc. They don't seem to have much time to waste standing around, so, might as well make that extra space profitable.

Clouds are my friends

I can certainly find a silver lining in an overcast day. Walking around the auction park is a whole different experience today. Its cooler and the sun is hidden this morning.

I'll take it.

If you really want to work on your tan, I hear its supposed to warm back up by the weekend.



Photo above: Checking in a pretty slick looking Ford Model T.

Celebrity quiz #1

This 1963 VW Bug is a stunt car from the movie Herbie Fully Loaded, starring Lindsay Lohan.

If Ms Lohan gets out of rehab this week, will this car be more or less valuable?

Discuss.

Out of gas?

Only for a minute.
Delbert and Wilma Bauermeister, Fort Wayne, take a break from the temperatures near the 90's Wednesday, near a collection of vintage gas pumps by the Kruse auction rings. The weather forecast says Thursday should be a bit less sweaty, calling for a high of 78.

Two kinds of fancy

I just love the, (Art Word coming up...) juxtaposition of these two vehicles. Granted, the Auburn Speedster is a replica, not an original, but still, the size and color contrasts, (not to mention passenger potential,) made this stand out.

Showing muscle

An early, highly unofficial poll suggests that this is going to be a big year for muscle cars at the Kruse auction. Certainly the Car Corral is boasting lots of '60s and '70s performance cars.
Is this a desire to thumb the collective nose at higher gas prices, or are these relics of motorized masculinity destined to be shelved as museum pieces, joining the ranks of other collector cars?

Discuss among yourselves please.

Hoosier Tour returns Thursday

If you like seeing older autos in action, then show up when the Hoosier Tour returns at noon Thursday for the festival’s Kickoff Luncheon at the ACD Museum.

If you reserve a spot, there’s a champagne lunch for $13. Call the Festival office at 260-925-3600.

http://acdfestival.org/html/schedule_of_events.html

Good news for the 9-5 crowd.

Starting at 3 pm every evening of the Auburn Fall Auction, guests will be able to enter the grounds at half price--$5 instead of $10. Organizers hope the "Twilight Rate," new this year, will encourage more people to attend during the early evening hours.

For auction info. Go to:
http://kruse.com/auctions/aubfall07/index.asp

Auburn House closed

I've had a serious crimp put into my lunch plans for the week.
The Auburn House Restaurant closed in mid February. This isn't news in Auburn, but it was to me. About two years ago Dave Costa sold the downtown eatery, known for its heavy dose of auto-collector items and, MUCH more importantly, its amazing Auburn House chicken.
Just recently, after bankruptcy proceedings progressed, Costa got the keys back to the building.
He's not going to reopen, but hopes to sell to someone interested in running the restaurant.
"I'd like to see somebody come in and bring it to what it was before," he said, although its not a condition for the sale. He'll be in and out of the place, cleaning up and sorting things out throughout the festival week. I doubt that I'll be the last to drop by and tell him that I miss the place.

...start your collector car engines.

If the morning haze is any indicator of the humidity to come with today's predicted 90-degree temperatures, it should be quite the sweaty time out at the Kruse International Auction Park. Driving by on I-69, I saw this line of cars winding around the site, waiting in line to register for the sale.
I've covered the sale and the ACD Festival about a dozen times in the last 19 years as a staff photographer for The News-Sentinel. This year, as a reporter/photographer, I get the chance to tell stories via words and photos. This blog will be where I put some of those thoughts together, perhaps before writing my daily stories for the print edition of the NS.
Stay tune. I plan to update frequently for the next six days. If you have any suggestions, requests or gripes, let me know. I'll keep a close eye on the comments.

Thanks,
Steve Linsenmayer